Anti-Aging Benefits of Green Tea

Need a reason to brew a cuppa? We’ve got four, so drink up!

by Norine Dworkin-McDaniel

Photograph: Mark Allen Miller

Green Tea...

Dramatically cuts blood sugar spikes. A compound in green tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) blocks an enzyme needed to digest starchy foods such as bread and pasta. If you drink some green tea—the suggested amount is a cup and a half—when you’re feasting on starches, your post-meal bump in blood sugar will be half its normal climb, a potential aid in fending off type 2 diabetes.

Fights cancer. Drinking three or more cups of green tea a week for at least six months lowered the risk for digestive system cancers in women by 14 percent.

Blasts fat. Overweight adults who had two servings of green tea daily for three months lost weight and fat, and their waists shrank a bit, too, says a study.

Improves memory. When EGCG reaches the brain, it appears to stimulate neuron growth in the hippocampus, a brain region related to memory. Mice given EGCG learned a maze faster than those that didn’t get the compound.